VBT: F*ck Luck, Bitches

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Branden LaNette will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Is there such thing as luck?

Of course, there is. I for one want to get as lucky as I can.

I know what you’re thinking: Branden are you admitting your title is just a marketing device? Well, I am trying to sell books here people!

We all want to be lucky or get lucky. And if the hand of luck reaches down to help you climb the tree of success, take it. But if it doesn’t, f--- it. Climb the tree anyway.

Hope is not a strategy. Wishing is for singing crickets.

Most people think they need more luck. If this describes you, you’re got it backward: Luck needs you. Luck doesn’t show up—YOU show up

Luck is waiting for you to show the-f-up. Now let me show you how.

Read an Excerpt

The Luck of Proximity

In an interview, Leonardo DiCaprio said he was lucky to have been born in Los Angeles, in the proximity of the film industry, within driving distance of Hollywood. “I probably wouldn't be doing this for a living if I lived in any other location.”

What do Marilyn Monroe, Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts, Dustin Hoffman, Jill Clayburgh, Marlo Brando, Jane Fonda, and Al Pacino have in common? They all got their start at The Actor’s Studio in New York. You mean they didn’t just get lucky? No. They studied and learned and networked and auditioned—then they got lucky.

You want to become an actor, but you weren’t lucky enough to be born down the street from Leo? Call Two Men and a Truck. F--king move.

Get on a damn bus.

Want to get lucky and meet a movie producer? Get a job waiting tables at the Polo Lounge and the next time Martin Scorsese comes in, give him your script when you hand him his check.

Want to get a lucky break in tech, move to Austin or Silicon Valley. Want to get a lucky break catching beaded necklaces, move to New Orleans. Want to get a lucky break in country music, move to Nashville. Want to get a lucky break and land a job as a blackjack dealer, move to Las Vegas.

Meet people.

Hang the f--k out in the right places.

Network.

About the Author:

BRANDEN LANETTE doesn’t look like a typical author, but she has long ignored what she “should” do, say and look like. On her own at a very young age, Branden eventually found herself with the wrong guy, the wrong job, and a bleak future. The fairytale promised as a child never materialized.

Branden realized she wanted something different for her life and realized no one was going to do it for her. Prince charming wasn’t coming to save her—she’d have to save herself. Step by step, decision by decision, through major trials and tribulations, Branden learned how to turn heartbreak into happiness and self-judgment into inner joy.

In 2019, Branden had her first book published, “Once Upon a Time, Bitches” followed by two workbooks in 2020, “The Dream Big Bitches Vision Book” and “The Dream Big Bitches Weekly Goal Setting Journal.” In early 2021 she co-authored the book, “Smart Bitches Buy Bitcoin” and is now over the moon for this one, her fifth. Branden LaNette is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, coach, wife, and stay-at-home Mom.

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Blog Tour: The Singles Table

 

"A beautifully told rom-com that's full of laughs, heart, and scorching sexual tension."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The Singles Table, the diverse swoon-worthy romantic comedy from Sara Desai, is now available!

Opposites attract in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about a free-spirited lawyer who is determined to find the perfect match for the grumpy bachelor at her cousin's wedding.

After a devastating break-up, celebrity-obsessed lawyer Zara Patel is determined never to open her heart again. She puts her energy into building her career and helping her friends find their happily-ever-afters. She's never faced a guest at the singles table she couldn’t match, until she crosses paths with the sinfully sexy Jay Dayal.

Former military security specialist Jay has no time for love. His life is about working hard, staying focused, and winning at all costs. When charismatic Zara crashes into his life, he's thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of chaos he wants to avoid. Worse, they're stuck together for the entire wedding season.

So they make a deal. She'll find his special someone if he introduces her to his celebrity clients. But when their arrangement brings them together in ways they never expected, they realize that the perfect match might just be their own.

Fall in love today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2X1jkEq
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/SinglesTableSD
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3jV6vV1
Nook: https://bit.ly/3naFLSy
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2NEvrD4
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3zWuLvJ
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2X1mbx8
Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://bit.ly/2ZZASip

Add The Singles Table to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3zX9ime

Read the first book in The Marriage Game series!
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Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/MarriageGame
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3wLe31C
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Kobo: https://bit.ly/3wIr0Ji
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3cbEuno

Add The Marriage Game to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2YMr0eW

Excerpt

“So what kind of woman are you looking for? Let me guess. Professional. Sophisticated. Classy. Intelligent. Basically, Lucia but younger, or do you like a little Mrs. Robinson between the sheets?” She took another bite of her hot dog. Was there any better food?

“My relationship with Lucia is strictly professional,” Jay said. “But yes, I’d be interested in someone similar.”

“So, you want a mini-me,” she teased. “I mean a mini-you. Not me. Obviously. Lucia is pretty much the opposite of me, which is another reason I knew that job wouldn’t work out.”

“You have ketchup on your cheek.” He took a napkin and gently dabbed it at the corner of her mouth.

Desire flooded her veins followed by a wave of desolation. She could easily fall for a man like Jay. Smart, handsome, ambitious, successful, and yet she sensed a longing in him, a secret Jay waiting to be free.

“Is it gone?” Her voice came out in a whisper.

He leaned in and studied her with a serious intensity that took her breath away. He was so close she could see the gentle dip in his chin, the dark stubble of his five-o’clock shadow even though it couldn’t be much past four o’clock. His lips were firm and soft, his mouth the perfect size for kissing. She drew in his scent: pine and mountains and the rich, earthy scent of the soil she’d turned in the garden when her family was whole and she never had to wonder whose house she was in when she woke up in the morning.

But this wasn’t the time to be thinking about being held in Jay’s strong arms or what it would be like to kiss him, or how just being near him calmed all the wayward thoughts in her head. She was supposed to be concentrating on finding him a match and where she should get autographed when he made the promised celebrity introduction.

“We should go.” She jumped up so abruptly her half-eaten hot dog fell to the grass. “I have to get back to the office, and I don’t want to exceed your two-hour-and-forty-five-minute time limit.”

Jay picked up the hot dog and carried it to the nearest bin. “When do you want to meet again?”

His question sent a curious thrill rocketing through her veins. She hadn’t put him off with her rambling, or her quest for the perfect hot dog, or even the uncomfortable questions she’d asked as they lounged in the sun. She couldn’t have been more excited if he’d asked her on second date. Except he wasn’t really interested in her that way, and she needed to keep that in mind. The last thing she wanted was to get into a Cyrano situation where she would be forced to help someone else win the heart of the man she loved. She made a mental note to rewatch the 1973 Broadway version of the play with its soaring ballads and rousing word- and swordplay as a reminder of the heartbreak that could result.

She pulled out her phone and pretended to study the screen to stop herself from saying something stupid like how about tonight? “Hmmm. I have a big settlement meeting on Friday so the rest of my week is shot. I’ll have to let you know.”

If he noticed her cool dismissal, he didn’t react. Instead, he said the one thing that would ensure she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she saw him again. “I’ll be waiting.”

About Sara Desai
Sara Desai has been a lawyer, radio DJ, marathon runner, historian, bouncer and librarian. She lives on Vancouver Island with her husband, kids and an assortment of forest creatures who think they are pets. Sara writes sexy romantic comedy and contemporary romance with a multicultural twist. When not laughing at her own jokes, Sara can be found eating nachos.

Connect with Sara
Facebook: https://bit.ly/2LKantB
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Twitter: https://bit.ly/38WTAN0
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/3v5v2tW
Website: https://saradesai.com/

Review: Seeking Persephone

Title: Seeking Persephone

Author: Sarah M. Eden

Purchased: Amazon/Audible

 blurb and that's what finally made me read the book. It is a  definite marriage - of - convenience story.

In order to prevent his cousin from becoming the next duke of Kielder, Adam decides to marry. He has specific requirements. The lady's family must be in need of money and she shouldn't have the possibility of finding anyone else. Then he finds Persephone. Can a marriage of convenience become something more?

 I liked Adam at the start. The dialogue between him and Jones was extremely entertaining due to Adam's consistent anger.

When the  main male character was broody or distant, the reason wouldn't be revealed untill halfway through the the story. This is the first book I read where the reason is known a lot sooner.

Harry seemed to be the only one who was able to keep Adam grounded. This is the second book I read in which the best friend was a major part of the main male character's life. I would love to read Harry's story next.

Rating: 😊😊😊😊😊

Release Promotion: Union Bound

♦ ♦ ♦

Adalyn 

I know my role. Be the witch Mom needs me to be, the leader the coven demands me to be, and the wife I have to be. My future is merely a means to ensure the coven remains the most powerful of our kind. So, I say the vows, complete the union, and marry the witch pre-chosen for me. Wanting nothing to do with him, I strike a deal to ensure my independence. My plan was concrete until that first kiss. I didn’t count on wanting him, let alone loving him. A love he’ll never return, and I must accept the fact before I’m gone forever.

Jasper 

A man needs but one goal in his life, and for me, it’s the acquisition of power. Finally, after the union ceremony I’ve been chasing, I have the magic of many, and with it, a wife I don’t want. Thankfully, she feels the same about me, removing the necessity of a typical marriage between us. But temptation is too compelling, and when one kiss turns into one night and one night turns into multiple, Adalyn is all I come to think about. She’s all I see. All I want. Until fate changes. Soon she’ll be gone and I’m forced to decide which matters more: magic or Adalyn.

♦ ♦ ♦

 

 “You’re sexy. I’ve been watching you all night, waiting for that douche of yours to leave your side.”

My palms warm, angry with fire magic ready to tell him where to shove it. I spin, teetering on my thin heels and barely catching myself to find him… gone.

I scan the humans around us, but no one is paying any attention. Whoever was here is no longer in my space. My scanning continues until, through a part in the throng, I spot Jasper by the bar, glaring. His hand is lowering to his side and he smiles crookedly at me before snatching up the three waiting shots and coming through the crowd back to me.

Silently, he hands Maggie and I each one. Maggie downs hers before twisting to face the guy she’s dancing with. I grasp the waiting glass but do nothing.

“Jealous much?” I lift my chin, smirking, knowing I’m winning more of his heart piece by piece.

“Jealousy implies caring.” But his tone wavers, proving to me he’s lying—both to himself and me.

“I think you care more than what you want to admit.”

His eyes darken and suddenly he appears very sober. For a beat, I think I ruined our night, but his easy smile slips on again and he rolls his eyes, shoving the seriousness of the topic away. “Just take your shot, Adalyn.”

I nudge my chin toward his, sitting in his pinched grip. “You first.”

He smiles lazily again, bringing back the Jasper I had moments ago. I down my shot too and let the song pick up my movements. His arms wrap around my waist, his face dropping in the crook of my neck.

“Maybe I do care a little bit.”

I stop breathing. Am I imagining this? What did he put in the shot?

“And I was jealous. I’m jealous of every man and woman staring at you right now. Of everyone who wishes they were in my position. Of knowing their small human minds are visualizing you without this dress.”

♦ ♦ ♦

 

Read The First Chapter HERE!

♦ ♦ ♦

 

 

M.L. Philpitt is Canadian-born and raised, and enjoys representing Canada within her novels. As a Ravenclaw, she loves education, having undergraduate degrees in English Literature and Sociology, a certificate in Autism and Behavioural Sciences, and a MA in Counselling Psychology.

She writes in various romance new adult genres including paranormal, fantasy, dark romance, and contemporary. She has lots of crazy trapped in her head for readers to enjoy.

When M.L. Philpitt isn’t making up stories, she’s devouring those imagined by other authors. Her love of reading began when she was a young child and only grew with age. She enjoys many genres, as reflected in her writing preferences.

 

 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

WWBC #22: Words and Books

Hello all. I have decided to combine the challenge topic from the 3rd with this week's topic.

The topic for November 3rd: Words to live By

"If You Speak Too Much, You will Learn Too Little." - Armenian Proverb 

I think it is self-explanatory.

This week's topic/question: Paperback, eBook or Audio?

I take part in another weekly blog feature call Tell Me Something Tuesday. This week's topic was also included in that feature. TMST 11

I am currently listening to an audiobook called Seeking Persephone. I also am in the middle of an eBook called Pure as Snow. So far, I am enjoying the two stories.

Thank you for stopping by.

*** Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is a weekly meme hosted by Long and Short Reviews